The present invention relates to eyewear and more particularly to an eyeglass frame with removably mounted lenses in which the lenses can be fabricated by a eyewear professional using conventional techniques and tools, and in which the lenses can be interchanged by the user in a simple, intuitive manner.
Eyeglasses include a frame, usually made of metal, plastic or combinations thereof, and a pair of optical lenses, mounted to the frame. The lenses may be prescription. They may also be coated and/or tinted different colors, to various degrees, to act as sunlight attenuators.
Although most lenses are fixedly mounted to the frame, and hence can be changed only by an eyewear professional, such as an optician or optical lab technician, the desirability of making the lenses removeable, and hence interchangeable by the user, has long been recognized. Many structures have been devised for this purpose, including various types of clips, clamps, gaskets, frame opening devices and the like. However, none have been commercially successful to any degree because special tools and/or fabrication techniques are required on the part of the eyewear professional to produce the lenses and because the lens mounting mechanisms are too complicated for the consumer to easily understand and use.
The present invention overcomes those drawbacks by requiring the eyewear professional to use only conventional techniques and tools to fabricate the lenses. Magnetic coupling of the lenses to the frame and a simple lens positioning structure are employed to create a system in which the lenses are removably mounted and properly positioned on the frame brow bar in a manner which is intuitively obvious to the user, requiring no advance instruction or special skill.
It is, therefore, a prime object of the present invention to provide an eyeglass frame with removeably mounted lenses which utilizes magnetic coupling system and a mechanical lens positioning structure.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an eyeglass frame with removeably mounted lenses which permits the eyewear professional to fabricate the lenses using conventional techniques and tools.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an eyeglass frame with removeably mounted lenses which is simple to use, requiring no advance instruction or special skill on the part of the user.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, apparatus for removably mounting a lens to an eyeglass frame is provided. It includes a coupling part and means for affixing the coupling part to the lens, proximate the top of the lens. A brow bar is provided. Means are provided for magnetically engaging the coupling part and the brow bar. Means are also provided for positioning the coupling part relative to the brow bar.
The magnetic engaging means includes magnetic means affixed to either the coupling part or the brow bar. The other one of the coupling part and brow bar comprises magnetically attractive material.
The lens positioning means includes a protrusion extending from either the coupling part or the brow bar. A protrusion receiving recess is located on the other one of the coupling part and the brow bar.
The brow bar has a rear surface. The protrusion may extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to that surface. Preferably, the magnetic means and the protrusion are directed in substantially opposite directions.
The magnetic means may include one or more magnets. The lens positioning means may include one or more protrusions. The lens positioning means includes a number of protrusion receiving recesses equal to the number of protrusions.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, apparatus for removably mounting a lens to an eyeglass frame is provided. The apparatus includes a coupling part affixed to the lens, proximate the top of the lens. The coupling part has a surface. A brow bar having a surface is provided. The coupling part surface is adapted to abut the brow bar surface. Means are associated with one of the surfaces for magnetically engaging the coupling part and the brow bar. Means are located on one of the surfaces for positioning the lens relative to the brow bar. The brow bar surface may be the rear surface of the brow bar, the top surface of the brow bar, the front surface of the brow bar or the bottom surface of the brow bar.
The coupling part surface may be the front surface of the part, the bottom surface of the the part, the rear surface of the part or the bottom surface of the part.
The magnetic engaging means includes magnetic means affixed to one of the surfaces. The other one of the surfaces includes magnetically attractive material.
The lens positioning means includes a protrusion extending from one of the surfaces. A protrusion receiving recess is situated on the other one of the surfaces.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, apparatus for removably mounting first and second lenses to an eyeglass frame is provided. The apparatus includes first and second coupling parts affixed to the first and second lenses, respectively, proximate the tops thereof. A brow bar is provided. Means are provided for magnetically engaging the first coupling part and the second coupling part at spaced locations on the brow bar. Means are provided for positioning the first coupling part and second coupling part relative to the brow bar.
The magnetic engaging means include first and second magnetic means. The first magnetic means is affixed to either the first coupling part or the brow bar. The second magnetic means is affixed to either the second coupling part or the brow bar.
The lens positioning means includes first and second protrusions and first and second protrusion receiving recesses. The first protrusion and the first recess are each associated with a different one of the first coupling part and the brow bar, respectively. The second protrusion and the second recess are each associated with a different one of the second coupling part and the brow bar, respectively.
Each of the first and second magnetic means may include one or more magnets. When more than one magnet is included, each of the first and second recesses is located between magnets.
Means for connecting the first and second coupling parts may be provided. The connecting means may align with the bridge of the brow bar. It may carry the positioning means.